A couple of weeks ago I made the smart decision to take a webinar with Deb Munro about “Dissecting the Script.” She had so much great information to offer that we should all be aware of every time we’re auditioning.

Here are some of her main points:

READ EVERYTHING. Sure, it makes sense to read all the directions from the client, to know their intent and what they’re hoping to achieve with the script. But also, if the script involves more than one character, don’t just read your lines, read everyone’s lines. Get a sense for who your character is, and what and who they’re reacting to. It will give your character much more depth!

FIND THE HIDDEN CLUES. Look for innuendo both in the script and the specs themselves. As VO actors, we have to put ourselves in the client’s mindset. They give us a lot of insight into that in the words they choose, both as part of the script AND in their artistic direction and specs.

DO THE RESEARCH. If there’s a reference to another video, ad, or VO, go look at it! If there’s a word or terminology you’re not familiar with, look them up! All of this will help prepare you more to be able to deliver a script that really communicates the client’s intentions. After all, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, how are you supposed to convince the listener you do?

Great stuff, and although some of it may seem obvious, it’s easy to overlook some of this when you’re trying to get an audition out the door. I know I often feel pressure, especially on the pay-to-play sites, to make sure I’m in the first 20 auditions or so, so it can feel like a hassle to check out other videos or take the time to look stuff up. But I’m hoping that Deb’s voice will now be the little voice inside my head whenever I’m tempted to skip this stuff!